ANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs cleared safety Daniel Sorensen to return to practice with the team, making the next step in his recovery from a tibial plateau fracture in his left that kept him on the sidelines since training camp.
“We're just going to let him ease in, just kind of get himself back in,” head coach Andy Reid said. “I haven't thought of expectations right now at all other than he's able to go out there and get acclimated again.”
Sorensen's return to practice starts a three-week during which he can practice with the team before the club must make a decision on whether to return him to the active roster or keep him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. The Chiefs can return two players from injured reserve during the season.
The defensive back underwent surgery to repair his left knee on Aug. 8. The club expected him to miss at least the first half of the season. He watched practice from the sidelines last week, and on Sunday ran through drills before the game at Arrowhead Stadium testing his knee.
Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder views the next few weeks as an extension of his recovery time.
“This will be a trial period,” Burkholder said. “We're taking this period of time where he practices as a rehab session.”
While Sorensen can practice with the club for up to three weeks, the earliest he could return to the active roster is next week following the game against Denver. Reid said Sorensen will simply focus on getting his legs underneath him as he rebuilds his strength.
“It won't be with the first group, that's not what he's doing, and work some scout team things and get himself acclimated and ease in to get him back at speed,” Reid said.”